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Blogs By Ceres

There’s been barely enough time for the ink to dry on the Paris climate deal — but we must begin charting a path forward if we’re going to meet COP21’s bold ambition in the years ahead. Around the world, policy makers, companies, and investors are demonstrating that they agree: There is no time to waste.

In 2014, Californians passed a water bond allotting $7.12 billion to fund key water projects, but that sum doesn’t go far enough. A recent Public Policy Institute of California report found that there is a $2 billion to $3 billion annual funding gap in five key water management areas, including storm water capture and integrated water management.

The Paris Agreement increases carbon risk for fossil fuel companies.
After Paris, companies that stress test capital expenditures for a 2 degree or 1.5 degree future will have the competitive edge.
The impacts of the oil price downturn illustrate how unprepared most fossil fuel companies are to manage the risks of the energy transition.

My previous article, “Liquidity Risks of the H2O Variety,” explored growing investor awareness about water risks within their portfolios and how that awareness plays into their investment decision making. Here, I will examine some of the increasingly sophisticated approaches that investors can take to integrate water risks into portfolio management.

EPA's closely watched Clean Power Plan rules are key to 'unprecedented' pace of change in U.S. electric power industry. But the rub: Will significant increases in customers' monthly fixed charges impede the transition?

The transition to a thriving, clean economy that protects the global climate while providing equitable access to sustainable development does not come cheap. The energy innovation and climate-resilient infrastructure we need requires finance at scale. This is why the climate finance discussion is so difficult and so important.

Corporate boards and the critical oversight function they play have come to the fore over the last year. You don't need to look any further than the scandal roiling ExxonMobil to understand the high stakes at play.

The World Bank’s Rachel Kyte is a whirling dervish these days in advance of key international climate change negotiations. She recently made a stop at the University of Massachusetts-Boston to share her optimism that a big climate breakthrough is possible next month in Paris.

Institutional investors like to call themselves global investors, but when it comes to global clean energy financing that’s hardly the case. Pension funds, insurance companies and other investors manage trillions of dollars, but precious few of those dollars are being invested in renewable energy projects in developing countries — a key linchpin in curbing carbon pollution to avoid catastrophic global warming.

Congressional representatives in October sent a letter to Gov. Jerry Brown asking about his plans to ensure that when El Niño’s storms hit, the water is captured. More dams, greater surface storage and looser environmental permitting do not add up to a sustainable water supply for California. We need to think outside of the box.

Ceres President Mindy Lubber had the honor of standing side-by-side with Vice President Joe Biden as he announced the latest round of companies to join the White House’s American Business Act on Climate pledge. Companies are supporting the Administration’s efforts to negotiate a robust international climate agreement in Paris – and more action is needed.

From all corners of the world, we can hear sounds of applause at news that world leaders have agreed on a climate finance package. To be clear, it wasn't a congratulatory standing ovation at the finish line; it was the encouraging and excited applause that comes at the beginning of a long race.

California’s “severe drought” is now at 860 days and counting. Every Californian is feeling the ripples, whether in lawn watering bans, fallowed farmland or tap water limits at local restaurants. So when will the state’s water woes be over?

Year-round warm temperatures and decades of smart water planning have earned the state its place in the market. Unlike California, however, Arizona is not currently facing a water crisis, even though it too is enduring prolonged drought.

Climate change is the most significant threat to sustainable development. Left unchecked, it threatens to undermine progress on nearly all of the other Sustainable Development Goals -- from ending poverty and hunger to ensuring access to clean water and decent work.

Seven years ago, we woke to news of the Lehman Brothers collapse and the landmark moment in this century’s biggest financial crisis. Amid all the blame, bailouts and bursting bubbles back in 2008, there was one universal action that everyone seemed to agree on: the need for transparency to better manage hidden risks in the financial system.

The phrase “ESG disclosure” was on the lips of hundreds of investors at the annual Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) conference in London today. And there’s a reason why the much-debated corporate disclosure gap on global sustainability challenges was center-stage: today, the United Nations released long-awaited Model Guidance on ESG Reporting for use by global stock exchanges.